Yale University voted last month to alter its nondiscrimination policy, making it the final Ivy League institution to add "gender identity and expression" to the list of protected groups previously enumerated in the statement. In June, Dartmouth's Board of Trustees approved similar language for inclusion in the College's policy.
This policy shift will further support the creation of a gender-neutral housing option, an initiative that has been under way for some time, according to Dean of Residential Life Martin Redman.
"We're now engaging in a conversation which has been the plan all along," Redman said.
Redman told The Dartmouth that a "working group" likely consisting of Student Body President Tim Andreadis '07, Residential Life employees and Housing Office staff are expected to meet by early November to "hash through issues" and give a recommendation to Redman before making any decisions regarding the new academic year. Andreadis made gender-neutral housing a campaign issue last spring.
Aside from legally protecting transsexual and transgender undergraduates from discrimination, the new language in the policy tackles the issue of gender expression, which characterizes how people communicate their gender through appearance and behavior.
"Gender identity and expression, as an issue, should not be relegated solely to transgender individuals. It's further-reaching than that; it has more to do with how other people perceive you than with how you perceive yourself," said Michael Amico '07, a Senior Fellow researching sexual expression in young people and a facilitator for Lambda 10, a newly instituted program aimed at decreasing homophobia in the Greek system.
Using a hypothetical fraternity scene as an example, Amico explained that accusing a house member of "not being man enough" because of a choice to abstain from drinking might not be tolerated under the policy addendum.
"'You're not man enough' is a perception of gender expression or identity. So, [the revised nondiscrimination policy] also protects against discrimination that's articulated in that way," Amico said.
Assistant Dean of Student Life Pam Misener, who is also the adviser to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students, emphasized the universality of the addendum's implications, which will alter campus-wide behavioral patterns.
"Everyone has a gender identity, and the reality is, many people never have to question that for themselves, but for those people who do, that question often comes with practical implications," Misener said.
Misener also noted that the College has essentially practiced this policy addendum for some time, but made it official this June.
"The moment in June [when Dartmouth edited its policy] was essentially a decision to make our policy match our practice, the next step in Dartmouth's movement to be inclusive around issues of sexual orientation and gender identity," Misener said.
With Yale's recent decision, the entire Ancient Eight have gender expression clauses included in their official nondiscrimination policies. Unlike Dartmouth, Yale's decision came in the wake of student outcry.
An April 6 article in the Yale Daily News reported that students rallied on campus "to demand that the University add a clause concerning gender identity to Yale's nondiscrimination policy."
Inquiries by The Dartmouth into the justification for Yale's dilatory action in changing its policy were unsuccessful. The Yale Office of Public Affairs declined a phone interview with The Dartmouth, responding with an e-mail that said, "Sorry -- I don't have that information."
Maria Trumpler, the recently appointed special adviser to the Yale deans on LGBTQ student affairs also declined an interview, but stated the following in an e-mail, "...From what I understand, the students organized a very effective drive last spring and sent a thoughtful request to the administration to include gender identity and expression. After considering the issues, the Yale administration agreed."
Trumpler added, "I'm not aware of any earlier instance when they turned down a similar request."
The first of the Ivies to pass a comparable resolution was the University of Pennsylvania in 2002.
